Have you ever seen a jam-packed student section at a school sporting event or game? Well, I’m not saying it’s because of some student’s stepping up and bringing their friends to the game, but i’m not saying it’s not. The environment of the school can be changed by one student, and that student CAN BE YOU!

There is a need for leaders at every school. However, not everyone wants to step up, most students are too comfortable in the position they are in. Well today is a new day, a new opportunity to change the way you live. While you may not become a full-blown leader right away, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is a step in the right direction.

The education system has been the same since forever, with most principal’s setting the mood of the institution, but I aim to change that. It seems principals are there to meet their quota, and not much else. Interacting with students does play a part in their agenda, but at the end of the day, it’s a paycheck in their hands.

There are three points I want to go over that many leadership students have implemented to have a successful student participation.

Stepping out of your comfort zone.

At the schools that have a lot of student participation, many of those students are going above and beyond. They are getting connected to each student and telling them about what’s happening at their school, and showing them how to get involved.

2. Build relationships with whomever you’re leading.

The students that stepped out of their comfort zone to connect with their peers continue to talk and invite them to school events and extracurricular activities. After spending more time together at events, most students become closer with whom they’re surrounded by. This creates a culture of inclusion, where everyone feels like they belong at these events.

3. Know they way, go the way, and show the way.

Connecting with students and becoming their friend is great, but you also need to have a vision of what you want to be done at your school. For example, most leadership students I’ve spoken to have a vision of student engagement and they have a plan to get everyone actively involved. These individuals become friends with the less-involved students and invite them to different events and clubs until that student finds an area that they enjoy. This is awesome because students are finding out what they love to do at a young age.

Any student can make a difference in their school. There are opportunities everywhere and it’s so easy to fuel a change, and it just takes one individual to step up and do things they’re uncomfortable with. I hope this blog post helps you to go out and try new things or even consider to try new things. Every day is a blessing and you should take advantage of it.

Check out the first episode of Talks with Julian it goes along with this post.